Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope your entire day is filled with the wonder and joy of children, delicious food and drink, and warm embraces from close family.

I myself am savoring this little piece of quiet heaven before my son wakes up and is so excited about all his presents.  Let me just tell you, he's been a very good boy lately and our tree definitely shows just how much.  I do have to say that I absolutely love this time of year and I love seeing the excitement, joy and wonder on my son's face as we talk about Christmas, Santa, and reindeer.  I have however, not enjoyed the sudden exclamations while drive that I need to "WATCH OUT! A REINDEER!" I am not sure where that came from but more than a few times I have hit the brakes to narrowly avoid missing his imaginary reindeer.

On another note...

I do have a little gift for all my readers today!

A last minute gift idea for young children that will not only entertain them for a while but it will smell so good in your house.

Peppermint Candy Cane Play Dough

I have made all different types of scented play dough but I decided to get very festive this year and create some play dough for both the children of my friends and family.

Step #1: Make your play dough. (Don't worry, it is so easy to make)

1 cup of flour

1 cup of water

2 tsp. of Cream of Tartar

1/2 cup of salt

1 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Food Coloring (red)

Peppermint Extract (I just poured a little bit into the mix)

1. Mix everything together in a saucepan and cook on medium heat while constantly stirring.

2. The mixture will start to form a ball and get stuck on the spoon. 

3.  Cook for just a little longer and then remove the ball from the heat and let it cool.

4. Once it is cool enough to touch, I knead the dough so I make sure everything is mixed and really smooth.

5. Repeat the entire recipe but omit the red food coloring.

Once you have both colors finished and cooled, roll out half of each color into long snakes.  Place them side by side and twist them together.  I cut pieces about 6 inches long so they would fit into my canning jars but you can place them into baggies or larger jars or even Tupperware containers.  This is what it looks like inside the jar.

Once you place it inside the jar it will look like a candy cane (sort of).

I then added my label to the top (see below for the FREE printable) and tied a red ribbon around the jar lid and candy cane.  I think they came out super cute and I know the kids will really love them.

FYI: The play dough should last a couple of months if you keep it tightly sealed.  If it starts to dry out, just knead in a few drops of water and it should get softer.

Now for the printable, just click on the down arrow in the box below!  If you download my printable please follow my blog or leave me a comment.  I really do love reading everything you have to say :)

Also please note:  This printable is created by KT Designs and is for personal use only. 

Have a very Merry Christmas with your family!

~Katania